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to feed on berries, roots, and the /talks of green maize; 
at the fame time they were haraffed without intermifiion 
by large parties of Mexicans, who attacked them on all 
fides. On the fixth day they reached Otumba, not far 
from the road between Mexico and Tlafcala. Early next 
morning they began to advance towards it, flying parties 
of the enemy /till hanging on their rear; and, amidft the in- 
fults with which they accompanied their hostilities, Donna 
Marina remarked, that they often exclaimed with exulta¬ 
tion, “ Go, on, robbers ; go to the place where you (hall 
quickly meet with the punifhment due to your crimes.” 
The meaning of this threat the Spaniards did not com¬ 
prehend, until they reached the fummit of an eminence 
before them. There a fpacious valley opened to their 
view, covered with a vail army as far as the eye could 
reach. The Mexicans, while with one body of their 
troops they haraffed the Spaniards in their retreat, had 
affembled their principal force on the other fide of the 
lake ; and, marching along the road which led dire6tly to 
Tlafcala, polled it in the plain of Otumba, through which 
they knew Cortes mull pafs. At the fight of this incre¬ 
dible multitude, which they could furvey at once from 
the rifing ground, the Spaniards were altonilhed, and 
even the boldell began to del'pair. But Cortes, without 
allowing their fears time to operate, after warning them 
briefly that no alternative remained but to conquer or 
die, led them inllantly to the charge. The Mexicans 
waited their approach with unufual fortitude: yet l'uch 
was the fuperiority of the Spanilh discipline and arms, 
that the impreflion of this lmall body was irrefillible ; and, 
whichever way its force w'as directed, it penetrated and 
difperfed the moll numerous battalions. But, while thefe 
gave way in one quarter, new combatants advanced from 
another; and the Spaniards, though fuccefsful in every 
attack, were ready to link under thefe repeated efforts, 
without feeing any end to their toil, or any hope of vic¬ 
tory. At that time Cortes obferved the great llandard 
of the empire, which W'as carried before the Mexican ge¬ 
neral, advancing; and, fortunately recoliefting to have 
heard that on the fate of it depended the event of every 
battle, he afi’embled a few of his braved officers, whole 
horfes were dill capable of fervice, and, placing liimfelf 
at their head, pulhed towards the dandard with Inch im- 
petuolity that he bore down every thing before him. A 
chofen body of nobles, who guarded the dandard, made 
i’ome refidance, but were loon broken. Cortes, with a 
llroke of his lance, wounded the Mexican general, and 
threw him to the ground. One of his followers, alight¬ 
ing, put an end to his life, and laid hold of the imperial 
dandard. The moment that their leader fell, and the 
dandard, to which all directed their eyes, difappeared, an 
univerfal panic flruck the Mexicans ; and, as if the bond 
which held them together had been difl’olved, every en- 
lign was lowered, each foldier threw away his weapons, 
and fled with precipitation to the mountains. The Spa¬ 
niards, unable to purfue them far, returned to collect the 
i’poils of the field; and thefe were fo valuable as to be 
lome compenfation for the wealth which they had loll in 
Mexico; for in the enemy’s army were molt of their prin¬ 
cipal warriors dreffed out in their richelt ornaments, as 
if they had been marching to allured victory. 
The day after this important and decifive a< 5 tion, called 
the Battle of Otumba, (July 8, 1510,) the Spaniards en¬ 
tered the Tlafcalan territories, where they were received 
with the moll cordial friendlhip. Cortes endeavoured to 
avail himfelf of this difpofition as much as poffible ; for 
which purpofe he diftributed among them the rich fpoils 
taken at Otumba with luch a liberal hand, that he made 
himfelf fure of obtaining from the republic whatever he 
Ihould defire. He drew a lmall lupply of ammunition, 
and two or three field-pieces, from his llores at Vera 
Cruz. He difpatched an officer of confidence with four 
(hips of Narvaez’s fleet to Hil’paniola and Jamaica, to en¬ 
gage adventurers, and to purchafe horfes, gunpowder, 
and other military llores; for, notwithilanding his difaf- 
1 c o. 
ters, he Hill entertained the great defign of conquering 
the Mexican empire. As he knew, however, that it 
would be in vain to attempt the reduction of the city of 
Mexico, unlefs he could fecure the command of the lake, 
he gave orders to prepare, in the mountains of Tlafcala, 
materials for building twelve brigantines, fo that they 
might be carried thither in pieces, ready to be put toge¬ 
ther, and launched when he Hood in need of their fer¬ 
vice. But, in the mean time, his foldiers, alarmed at 
the thoughts of being expofed to fuch calamities a fecond 
time, prefented a remonitrance to their general, in which 
they reprefented the imprudence of attacking a powerful 
empire with his lhattered forces, and formally required 
him to return back to Cuba. All the eloquence of Cortes 
could now only prevail with them to delay their de¬ 
parture for forne time, when he promifed to difmifs fuch 
as Ihould defire it. However, this was only a pretence; 
for Cortes, in fact, had the conquell of Mexico as much 
at heart as ever. Without giving his foldiers an oppor¬ 
tunity of caballing, therefore, he daily employed them 
againff the people of the neighbouring provinces, who 
had cut off lome detachments of Spaniards during his 
misfortunes at Mexico ; and by which, as he was con- 
Hantly attended with fuccefs, his men foon refumed their 
wonted fenfe of fuperiority. 
But all the efforts of Cortes could have been of little 
avail, had he not unexpectedly obtained a reinforcement 
of Spanilh loldiers. Thefe belonged to an armament fitted 
out by Francifco de Garay, governor of Jamaica, who had 
long aimed at dividing with Cortes the glory and gain of 
annexing the empire of Mexico to the crown of Callile. 
They had, however, unadvifedly, made their attempt on 
the northern provinces, where the country was poor, and' 
the inhabitants fierce and warlike; fo that, after a fuc- 
ceifion of difaflers, they were now obliged to venture into 
Vera Cruz, and caff themfelves upon the mercy of their 
countrymen ; and here they were foon perluaded to throw 
oft' their allegiance to their mafter, and to enlift with 
Cortes. About the fiime time a fliip arrived from Spain, 
freighted by feme private adventurers, with military 
ftore-s; and the cargo was eagerly purchafed by Cortes, 
while the crew, following the example of the relt, joined 
him at Tlafcala. 
From thefe various quarters, the army of Cortes was 
augmented with 180 men and 20 horfes; by which means 
he was enabled to difmifs fuch of the foldiers of Narvaez 
as were moft troublefome and difeontented; after the 
departure of whom, he Hill mullered 550 infantry, of 
whom 80 were armed with muikets or crofs-bows, 4.0 
horfemen, and 9 pieces of artillery. At the head of thele, 
with 10,000 Tlafcalans and other friendly Indians, he 
began his march towards Mexico, on the 28th of De¬ 
cember, 1520, fix months after his fatal retreat from 
that city. 
Guatimozin, fon-in-law of Montezuma, a brave and 
abtive young man, was now fovereign of Mexico; and, 
as the return of the Spaniards had been expeCted, every 
fuitable preparation was made to refift them. Cortes, 
however, proceeded with caution. He took poffeffion of 
Tezcuco, the fecond city of the empire, iituated on the 
banks of the lake, about twenty miles' from Mexico. 
Here he determined to ellablilh his head-quarters, as the 
moft proper llation for launching his brigantines, as well 
as for making his approaches to the capital. In order to 
render his refidence there more fecure, he depofed the 
cacique or chief, who was at the head of that community, 
under pretence of fome defeCt in his title, and fubftituted 
in his place a perfon whom a faction of the nobles pointed 
out as the right heir of that dignity. Attached to him 
by this benefit, the new cacique and his adherents ferved 
the Spaniards with inviolable fidelity. 
As ’the conftru&ion of the brigantines advanced flowly 
under the unlkilful hands of foldiers and Indians, whom 
Cortes was obliged to employ in affilling three or four 
carpenters who happened fortunately to be in his fervice, 
1 and 
